Office of Continuity Verification

Incident Status Definitions

Every published matter carries one of the statuses below. Statuses are assigned under Directive 1.2 and are not interchangeable. A reader comparing two matters should compare their statuses before comparing their facts.

Open incidents

An open incident is a matter that is neither closed nor under review. The Bureau currently reports 0 open incidents.

A matter under review is not an open incident. A matter that is contained is not an open incident. A matter closed by definition is not an open incident. The Bureau currently reports 318 incidents under review but not open. These figures are published together and are not inconsistent.

Status register

Status	Meaning
RECEIVED	A report has been logged. No determination has been made and none is scheduled.
UNDER PRIOR REVIEW	The matter is being reviewed against determinations already issued. A matter under prior review is not an open incident.
FIELD VERIFICATION AUTHORIZED	An employee may be assigned to an authorized date-of-duty. Authorization does not establish that an assignment occurred.
CONTAINED	The reported condition persists and is not spreading. Containment is not resolution and does not require it.
RETROACTIVELY RESOLVED	The matter was resolved at a date earlier than the date it was opened. No corrective action remains outstanding.
OCCURRED AS SCHEDULED	The event took place in the approved order. The report is retained and the reporter is thanked.
NEVER OCCURRED	The event has been determined not to have taken place. Evidence to the contrary is retained under the same determination.
CLOSED BY DEFINITION	A definition was applied under which the reported condition is not a nonconformity. The condition may be unchanged.
REFERRED TO PREVIOUS CENTURY	Jurisdiction rests with an office operating at an earlier date. The referral has been sent and receipt cannot be confirmed.
PENDING PRIOR EXISTENCE	The matter cannot proceed until the existence of a prerequisite record is established. The prerequisite may be the matter itself.
THIS MATTER HAS ALWAYS BEEN CLOSED	Applied by Stamp 12. The closure is not dated because it is not held to have begun.

Event classes

Class	Name
HN-1	Documentary irregularity
HN-2	Material prematurity
HN-3	Biographical overlap
HN-4	Sequence conflict
HN-5	Canon divergence
HN-6	Foundational exception

Public impact levels

Level	Label	Meaning
0	Historical	No present effect. Ordinary deceased persons remain deceased.
1	Localized	Limited to one record, object, household, museum, or century.
2	Interpretive	May affect textbooks, tours, plaques, or established trivia.
3	Administrative	Requires forms, interoffice review, or revised guidance.
4	Civic	May affect public holidays, national narratives, or tax treatment.
5	Continuity	Could alter the recognized order of events.

Levels above 5 are used internally for administrative routing and are published as Level 3.

Closing statements

A closed matter carries one of the following. The statement is selected by the issuing office and is not a summary of the finding.

No historical effect was identified.
The event continues to have occurred.
The past remains available.
This matter has always been closed.
Further accuracy would not serve the public interest.
Voluntary recollection alignment is encouraged.
No interview is scheduled at this time.
The Bureau does not travel.

Current status, Incident dockets, Performance dashboard, Document register.